Invasion [SJO vs TSE] Operation Silversaber: Silver Jedi Invasion of the Mirial Hex

[Darth Bellum]

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Location | Capital of Mirial
Objective | Raise Anti-Jedi Sentiment
Company | TSE Soldiers & Mirialin Militia

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Vexen's armored figure could be seen maintaining a makeshift barricade that had been hastily put together to repel both the shambling zombie hordes that the Jedi had unwittingly allowed into the city as well as Silver Jedi militant elements. The defenses that had entrenched themselves in the makeshift line were composed of a mix of Mirialin militiamen alongside the TSE soldiers. The armored knight could be seen swatting aside blaster bolts with wide swings, blaster bolts impacting his armor as he swung without a care, fully confident that the SJO did not possess a weapon powerful enough to both penetrate and harm him. Blaster bolts seemed to dissipate and vanish as they struck his grooved armor, the Phrik heating up and glowing briefly before cooling off. A zombie would shamble up towards Vexen, not aiming to attack him but pass him as it ignored those attuned with the Dark side. He would swing downward in a wide arc as it bisected the zombie, pushing the two halves away as he held the line.

A nearby reconnaissance droid would be stealthily perched from above, taking photos and footage of the Mirialins fighting alongside the Sith Empire; it would make fine photos and footage to throw against the Silver Jedi in a PR nightmare regardless of who won this conflict. The SJO had already been painted in a negative light by making an unprovoked attack on a planet recovering from previous conflicts and Vexen's broadcasts had only been fanning the anger of the Mirialin people into a fire, raising more and more anti-Jedi sentiment. More and more radio chatter had been coming up on the comms as there was a great deal of metaphorical fuel Vexen could throw onto the fire. A particularly interesting bit was the announcement of the individual who had crashed a Rancor into the capital. Even if the SJO denounced him and his actions, it still went to show that they couldn't even control those who sided with them in this conflict. Another broadcast was due with the valiant Knight as the voice that spurred the people to action.

The reconnaissance droid who had been sending footage to a studio would zoom in on Vexen, a live feed of the Knight alongside TSE soldiers and Mirialin militiamen appearing on the holoprojectors throughout the city. No Jedi so far had made any attempt to silence him, so his voice would be heard loud and clear for all of Mirial and its people to hear. The voice of Kor Vexen boomed like a loudspeaker as it was transmitted, the droid recording sound bites to be used to inspire action amongst the citizens. " Mirial fights for its own interests and peace. They fight the Jedi who wish to claim dominion over them with the false pretense of liberation! Do not let their false words sway your resolve and tear the bonds that we have achieved together as equals! " Vexen's voice would be heard as civilians who were being evacuated by both the TSE and SJO forces were able to hear and see the battle unfold from numerous holoprojectors installed throughout the capital. A number of civilians who were being escorted by SJO forces would find truth in Vexen's words fleeing from the SJO to the safety of their own homes, making it more chaotic and difficult for the SJO to handle with having more bodies moving about.

" The Jedi cannot even handle their own allies actions. An armored rancor that was dropped into your capital has already claimed the lives of dozens of innocent people because of the Jedi's inability to command their own. The Jedi lash out against us when they cannot even protect themselves or their own territories. This unprovoked attack will not go unanswered and without challenge! They wish to take away your livelihoods and your future, to keep you in rags while they trample and use you when you are regaining your strength! Fight alongside your brothers and sisters, fight with your fellow countrymen and take up arms people of Mirial. These warmongering Jedi will not enslave and use you! "

A female Mirialin voice could be heard as it continued to the typical general state of emergency announcement " Citizens of Mirial, please remain indoors or in a shelter, the city is under attack. Do not venture out onto the streets. TSE forces are going door to door to escort you to the nearest shelter. Please do not open up for anyone else...Citizens of Mirial, please remain... " The voice would repeat itself as Vexen continued to collect more fuel for his next broadcast to rile up the populace. Even if the Jedi did succeed with their invasion, this sentiment against the Jedi that has been created would work against them in the long run. If they failed, there would be even more public backlash from the rest of the Galaxy especially from an unprovoked attack for what? Because Jedi and Sith were natural enemies? The Silver Jedi Order would find no other fault to their presence on Mirial except for the simple fact that they were Sith. Humanitarian and reconstruction efforts apparently meant nothing to the SJO from the perspective of the average Mirialin citizen.

 

[Atlas Kane]

Location: Mirial's Capital City
Objective: Figure out what's going on.
Allies: The Sith Empire
Enemies: People who'd shoot civilians on sight.

There wasn't much in this hotel room. Small bed, holovision, sealed window, it was all rather plain and lit rather shoddily. Most of the room was cast in darkness, the only shimmers of light falling into the room in a rectangular shape, illuminating part of the bed and carpet floor. It was a rather unpleasant beige colour, aesthetically displeasing, even to those with little sense for design. The holovision was also broken, kept displaying some peace talks between Sith and the Mirialans on all channels, boring things, though the colourful flicker added to the room's poor lighting conditions in a constructive way. Arthur could actually see what he was doing with his gun thanks to that light. During the last weapon test, there was a slight deviation in accuracy, one that he was correcting now. Impurities in the barrel that had to be corrected, no doubt from all the bad weather it had suffered in. Poor thing. Arthur's gonna make it all better.

It took a while, but he managed to find the problem, even if it was under a microscope. Part of the barrel had bent ever so slightly near the exit and it was affecting accuracy, an easy fix all things considered. A little bit of pressure should fix the issue. Though before he could tend to it, a curious sound caught his attention. It was a quiet boom as if something heavy had been dropped on a metal floor. Something large and heavy. His gaze turned to the window, he observed the skyline for a moment. Smoke. His gaze wandered upwards. Ships. Someone was coming to attack Mirial. And today of all days, the first day off he'd taken in months. He sighed, putting the gun together again with a few quick movements. As much as he didn't want to, his conscience wouldn't allow him to simply stand by and idly watch the world around him burn as he waited for it to all blow over in his hotel room. Another few loud crashing sounds interrupted the relative silence. The people outside finally got the memo. There were a few panicked screams, though there was more yelling to get to safety, somewhere safe, somewhere to protect from the cursed ones. Insulting their potential new overlords already, Arthur had to admit, these civilians were showing some they had some spine.

Donning his usual coat, hat, simple tie, and mask, the private contractor made his way out of the building. The streets were already clearing up. Most were running inside their homes, seemingly barricading themselves into their homes, others were running towards public shelters. He had to smirk a little, depending on the attacker's identities the latter would make them just more of a target, but he couldn't think of a better alternative. He began moving towards the city centre, where the capital building was. It was where he'd likely find the most important civilians to aid and the place where the attack had seemingly begun. He walked calmly, but briskly. No point in losing time, though no point in expending energy unnecessarily either. He'd get there in due time.

As he moved through the streets he could make out various landing crafts that deployed soldiers into the streets, sounds of heavy fighting began to echo through the streets, still teeming with civilians. Too many innocent lives would be lost to stray gunfire and collateral damage. City fighting was always a dirty ordeal, more often than not large portions of the civilian populace were injured or killed during fighting like that, especially during surprise attacks like this one, when the populace had only little time to actively prepare or get to safety. Walking the streets he could already see several dead bodies and flaming building sides where starfighters or other ships had crashed. It was already getting messy. A few streets over there was also the sound of heavy blaster fire, a couple of explosions, a lot of yelling, though above all some armoured figure had appeared on all the public advertising news holovision projectors, spouting some things about Jedi and their hypocrisy, Arthur didn't really listen. It was Jedi who attacked, then. Seemed fairly out of their nature to attack a civilian target rather than a strategic military one. Lots of innocent lives lost in cities, not so much on military bases. But he cared little, Jedi were just another kind of zealous space magicians who pretended to care but were ultimately too far removed in their own bubbles to truly understand the common man's plight. Not to mention their glowsticks really skroggin' hurt.

The street he walked now was empty, a few leaflets were blowing along, it had been a few many minutes since the first signs of attack. Battles were still raging all throughout the city, between invading Jedi forces and the Sith military and local law enforcement, but there were also other sounds of battle, far less organised and more horrific off in the direction of the walls. Fighting there must be going incredibly rough for both sides, though that was not his concern. A scream interrupted his train of thought, off to his left, in an alley a few metres further ahead. His hand instinctively went for the Ambassador hidden within his coat, freeing it of its cover and its safety as it rested in his artificial hand. With a few quick paces, he was at the alleyway's entrance, backed up against the wall, leaning slightly to the side to view what was transpiring in the alley.

He'd seen depraved things before. The horrors of war, sadistic murderers, brutal crime scenes, but those were fairly tame to what presented itself to him in this alley. Whatever it was, it wasn't sentient, or alive. Nothing that was still sentient or alive would do what it did. Nothing and no one. Arthur could only stare in shock. Fear gripped his heart and lungs like nothing had before. His heart stopped for a moment, his lungs unable to draw breath. He'd prepared to see terrible atrocities, but he wasn't prepared for the scene that had unfolded in this alley. The creatures, the blood, whatever remained of the victims ... it was ... it was ... and their stare ... by the Force their stare.

Survival instincts kicked in when the subconscious of his mind realised the creatures were now watching him, rising slowly from their unfortunate prey to move towards him. Six shots broke the silence of the alley. Six shots aimed at both the creatures, three each. The force of the impacts was enough to knock them to the ground, only after the third round, however. Their idle frames lay there for a few moments, unmoving, resting until one of them twitched. Its head turned towards the man at the end of the alley, the one who was supposed to have felled them, the one who failed to do so, their next prey. Hands moved quickly to replace the spent shells with new ones and then, six shots once more broke the quiet. This time he spent no time waiting for them to move before reloading. Several moments he stood there, ready to fire again at the two creatures on the ground, torn to shreds now, once perhaps having resembled something humanoid.

They remained still. A long sigh of relief escaped the man's lips, his sights no longer set on the figures. A strong feeling of sickness overcame him. He was unsure of what those things were, but they were different from anything he'd faced before. Whatever they were, the things they did to civilians were utterly horrific. Rabid animals starved of food that released all their frustration and desperation on the first victims they saw. Perhaps it hadn't been the Jedi the inhabitants of the capital referred to as the cursed ones, perhaps it was these. The walls built around the city must have been designed to keep them out, then, now broken by the invading forces, no longer shielding the inhabitants of the city from the horrors lurking just outside. He had had a bad feeling about coming to this place, he should've trusted that feeling more than he had the Mirialan offering him a hotel room for ten credits a night.

Without even realising he'd moved on, his subconscious carrying him a good distance away from the horrific scene on tired legs. It took a moment for him to gather his composure again. Taking several long breaths he finally managed to find his centre, returning his mindset at least close to the baseline required for proper effectiveness. Once more he was interrupted, however, this time by shouts. Someone offering aid to the wounded just up ahead. The door to the building was open, unlike many of the others that were barricaded shut. Arthur approached, carefully and methodically, checking the windows above during his approach. Blood splatters, not a good sign. With a few more quick steps he cleared the doorway, entering the building, ready to fire at the first sign of trouble.

Preparedness that proved useful, as before him there were two figures. One, a Mirialan, alive, well, still green in the face. The other a man, or what used to be one, sickly, diseased, same species, technically, now charging towards the former. The Ambassador's sight was quickly trained on the creature and shot after shot went towards its frame, hopefully hitting its corrupted body to save the Mirialan. The shots filled the house with six deafening cracks of thunder.

[member="Europa Draav"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Objective: Now that Rogue Rancorman is gone, reconnaissance on the perimeter of the city on swoop bike
Allies: Any SJO in the capital
Opposition: [member="Amit Nykoan"]
Gear: Blade of the Satvas, Blaster, Lightsaber, Mandalorian Power Shield, Armorweave

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-jKfLXYQqw[/youtube]​

Skidding the Mobquet Overracer to a halt near the entrance to one of the multiple “Silver Spots," a hastily assembled safe zone in the capital city - this one specifically Spot 12 - Setzi climbed off the bike to obtain a quick intelligence briefing from those monitoring the comms inside.

A private from the Rangers filled her in on the latest report regarding the soldier on the rancor who’d gone karking mad in the middle of his deployment to the field.

“He’s fled now, Knight Lunelle, but we’ve been able to trace his name and rank. There will be a full investigation by Commander Calderon and Grand Master Yune as well as eyewitness testimony. If we can catch him, he’ll be court-martialed and jailed."

“Was he a Sith mole?”

“Undetermined at this time.”

She pulled her helmet off, and despite the stale air inside the fortified building, chosen for its thick stone walls and cleanliness, it felt good to breath undistilled oxygen again. For a moment, she paused to consider just exactly what would drive a trained and otherwise reasonable soldier to snap like that and defy orders.

Perhaps the same motivation that drove you headlong into the Sith, she mused? The seed of curiosity had been planted on Arkania during her first duel with a Togrutian Sith Lord, and her thirst to consume more of the sweet and savory dark-sided fruit became insatiable. While Setzi remained vigilant of her own weaknesses, if she considered the taste of those delectables today, she would come to the conclusion that her palate had been cleansed. Or so she'd hoped.

Stay guarded. There will always be some honeyed inveiglement lurking around the corner. And as Sol Damerin had rightly accused, the Jedi Knight still had a challenge keeping her emotions in check.

“By the way, there’s some kind of strange virus that’s infected a few Mirialans I came across. Have you found out anything about that here in the city?”

“Negative, Knight Lunelle, though we’ve heard similar reports.”

She nodded, refastened her helmet and quickly stretched her arms and legs to limber up again for another pass on the swoop bike. Setzi decided to ride around the long stretch of speeder lane surrounding the perimeter of the city to see if she could help ferry someone to a medic or provide intelligence on where the Sith had been hiding and/or any strongholds they may have had in the capital city.

 

[Dante Sotari]

Location: Mirial, Northern Reaches
Allies: [member="Morgan Vance"], TSE
Enemies: Local Separatists.

She turned to look at him over her shoulder. The wide eyed intensity of the 'are you karking kidding me,' look only partially masked the whiteness of her face or the tremor in her hand.

"How..... are you...... so. Bloody. Calm?"

Dante brought the light down, but it didn't help. Even if she couldn't see it clearly she was deeply aware of it. The wet, raw thing hanging from the ceiling. She didn't know if she was actually hearing the slow drip drip of blood or if it was her imagination- her own blood thundered in her ears, she shouldn't be able to hear anything over that and yet-

Drip.

Drip.

"This is karked up Vance!"

There was a certain edge to her voice, not anger or annoyance, but the cut of someone just barely holding it together. Freak out or throw up- one of those things was teetering on the edge and it wasn't entirely clear which.

Dante wasn't a stranger to death. Hell, she had killed her fair share of enemy combatants. It was never enjoyable. Never even really a grim satisfaction from the process. Just an understanding that was her job. She often got a certain distance from it, never seeing the blossom of blood except through the scope of a rifle from as much as two kilometers away. But even when it was in her face, it was different. It was never like this.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Location: Mirial Capital - The Slums.
Objective: Shoot things.
Allies: The Sith Empire - [member="Calina Ovmar"], [member="Taeli Raaf"].
Enemies: The Silver Jedi. Moving to engage [member="Yuroic Xeraic"]. In vicinity: [member="Lina Renning"], [member="Madeline Roux"] (making this post with permission from Madeline)
Open to being engaged by Jedi in general.


If Enyo had been a nicer person, she would have felt bad for the two Padawans. She was no mentalist, but she could tell that Lady Arcanix was doing something unpleasant to the mind of one of the Jedi - the one Enyo had cut in the leg - and stretching out her malevolent tendrils towards the other as well. However, the Terminatrix was not a nice person.


Her ability to feel mercy or empathy to organics who did not count as her fellow clone 'siblings' was...low. C'est la guerre. That said, she felt mildly disgusted about the fact that two Padawans, who based on their comportment so far were probably not used to warfare, had been sent here to the lab of horrors without any experienced backup. To her, the Jedi Masters seemed rather irresponsible and extremely cowardly. Enyo could not abide cowardice or weakness.


One Jedi had been seized by Calina's invisible grip, the other would probably have to deal with the Force Push Enyo had sent her way. At this moment she felt a jolt in her skull. Purely electronic transmission was so much more efficient than verbal communication. One of the scout droid's informed her that zombies were gaining ground. Furthermore, another Jedi had been sighted. "Move Beta Team to support the Sith troops against the undead," she transmitted to her goons. Sadly, zombies were unhygienic, undisciplined creatures.


"It's a medical facility. You're the new patients," Enyo responded blandly to Lina. Her voice was modulated by the electronic speaker inside her helmet, distorting it further. In short, she sounded nothing like her template. Enyo's accent was more posh anyway and she was a lot colder.


"I shall see to perimeter security," she informed the two Sith. With Arcanix wearing her cool mask, Enyo could not see her features. However, the woman felt...very familiar. Perhaps this was something for the Terminatrix to ponder later.


Figuring the situation was probably under control at the lab, she took off. If either Sith needed her, they could reach her per commlink. Despite the weight of her sealed suit of armour and her phrik skeleton, she moved fluidly and made little noise. Unbeknownst to Enyo, her path would take her into the direction of a certain Jedi Knight called Yuroic Xeraic. The Jedi would probably see a tall, armoured figure with a dark side aura.

 

[Zef Halo]

Location: Suburbs, Capital City
Objective: Tend to civillians
Allies: [member="Darth Saarai"]
Enemies: The Silver Jedi, very very soon [member="Marek S'hadar"]

His mind was off. The trail of the Jedi beckoned him. Whether Saarai used a Force technique to get him back to the reality before them or not remained a mystery but Vitor was back to his senses.

The undead were trying to get in. The barricade was manned by Sith soldiers and Miriali militia with Lord Saarai venturing forth to lend them a hand. In relative safety were civillians who had escaped the zombies and Vitor approached them. Their fear and anxiety, he fed on them.

How could he possibly tend to them, though?

He looked around and got to helping the medical team in whatever way possible. His lightsaber clearly visible.

This was a good moment to show Mirial's rebellious people who was here to help them when the Jedi struck their home.

"Get them moving to a building nearby. They need shelter." He ordered the medical unit and they heeded.

Vitor then turned to his former master.

"The Jedi is very near, my Lord." His voice beckoned the Thirikken. Saving civillians and killing a Jedi.

Two mynocks.

One stone.

 

[Kenth Typho]

Location: Mirial
Allies: [member="Dante Sotari"] | Sith Empire
Enemies: Local Separatists.

Morgan broke his stride and looked over his shoulder.

There was a flash of something - pain, fury, annoyance, anger, revulsion, take your pick, before it was blanked out and his expression went back to safely neutral.

"Because I need to be." Now he turned fully and there was a tension in his shoulders, almost hunched protectively. "You think I ain't seeing what you seeing? What do you want from me? Break? Cry? Throw up? We got a karking job to do here, Sotari and these maniacs ain't gonna give us a three minute pause so we can get our feelings straightened out."

There was more emotion in his voice than she was used to.

Even the expression of his face had gone back into a frown, brows furrowed while lips were contoured into a scowl. "They have been butchered and we ain't got shet we can do about it- but we can make sure these fethers don't take control of the canon and blow our fleets out of the sky."

Eyes closed and he focused internally.

Finally calming down.

His voice had barely been raised, but it was still enough for Morgan to feel like he had failed her. "I am sorry." It was his job to make sure they stayed focused and calm. Already the agent turned around, eyes back into the shadows. "I won't lose my cool again." Again Morgan made to flow into the corridor further down the road.

They needed to solve this and solve it fast.

 

[Roona Osmari]

Location: Mirial, Inbound to Garrison.
Objective: Secure local Garrison.
Allies: Silver Jedi Order, [member="Valkren Calderon"]
Enemies: The Sith Empire, (Unknown)

Through the scope of her assault rifle, she watched as her next slug made contact with the forehead of an undead. The sight of rotting flesh and twisted faces was not for the faint of heart. Roona grimaced; it was a visual that she hoped to forget quickly. Up ahead, the alley way was filling with corpses that were now lifeless once more. It was a shame that they found their end this way. But it was not a thought to dwell on at the moment. Lining the next target up in her sights, she silently recited a Ysannan prayer, and then squeezed the trigger.

The LAAT arrived just in time. As the Colonel moved forward with a few Raiders to inspect the corpses, Roona stood close to the group of civilians. All the while, her sharp eyes were watchful and her senses alert. Her gaze shifted back over her shoulder, where she could see the Mirialans being loaded into the ship. They would be safe now, and there was obvious relief in their expressions. Once the last person was aboard, Roona caught Colonel Calderon’s signal to move up.

It was time to leave this scene behind.

After quite a jog, the team crouched low. Using the shadows thrown down by the buildings, they moved through the streets. It was eerily quiet here, and the lack of undead was concerning. Roona listened to the discussion, and then snapped to attention as the Colonel addressed her directly. Her helmet gave a steady nod to Valkren, before turning in the direction of Clark.

“Yes, sir.” She acknowledged his orders. “We will be in touch.”

It was true; Roona could be a woman of few words. And with that, she motioned for Clark to follow. The two set off down the street, sticking close to the sides of the buildings that lined the sidewalk. When they were within range, Roona took a look around.

“There.” She pointed to what appeared to be an abandoned building. It was in a very poor state of repair, but it had a balcony. It wasn’t difficult for them to gain entrance, and they proceeded inside with caution. However, there seemed to be no opposition to be found. Their boots took them up the stairs, and Roona immediately took to the night air out on the balcony. From here she could see the Garrison, and when she gazed down at the streets below, she could make out First Team’s position.

Lifting her visor once more, she placed her eye up to the scope and directed her gaze to the Garrison. There were armored shadows on patrol both inside and out. So, she contacted her team via her comm link.

“I do not see anything out of the ordinary here. Standard patrols at the moment, but I would wager there are more troops inside. From what I can see, I would say these are Sith soldiers – highly advanced armor and weapons.” Roona sensed darkness, and turned her sights down the street. “Wait.”

There were undead ambling down the street, a rather large pack… headed right for the garrison.

“Hostile undead – moving en route to the garrison.” She said in a low tone, getting ready to take out some of her targets from above.

 

[Vaylin]

Location: Mirial - Heading to Residential Housing
Objective: Chase & Hunt Natassia
Allies: The Sith Empire - [member="Aria Vale"]
Enemies: The Silver Jedi - [member="Natassia Traxen"]
Equipment: [SIZE=11pt] [/SIZE]2x Sith Lightsabers | Armour | Oculus

It was like their ears had been unplugged up until they had left the capitol building, which honestly wasn't too far from the truth. Between the rancor and the flashbang, both Aria and Vaylin had certainly had their hearing rattled. But now they were out in the open, and they could bear witness to the destruction and carnage that had filled the city.

Vaylin revelled in the chaos, and yet was surprised by it too. Also rather pissed given the Empire's restoration efforts were currently being buried, literally so in some places. There were buildings on fire, skyscrapers crumbling - debris falling from great heights and smashing down to the ground below. And then there was the screams, of panicked and scared civilians, to the hungry cries of the undead that seemed a lot closer than they had any right to be.

"Did the undead get past the city's walls?" She posed the question openly, whether Aria would answer or not. She imagined her master was somewhat perturbed herself, the pair of them still running down streets in pursuit of Natassia.

That was when Vaylin suddenly hitched in her stride, sensing something through the Force that she wasn't sure she should've expected or not.

Jedi, she could sense them within the city. No one specific, but there was no denying that Light presence that lingered in the Force whenever she reached out. The Zabrak looked over at Aria, a measure of disbelief in Vaylin's eyes that said everything she was thinking without opening her lips.

Eventually the two Valkyries reached part of the Residential Housing, and immediately stopped at the scene they were greeted with. Carnage; bodies on the ground and laid out over crashed vehicles. Even Vaylin couldn't attribute this to the Jedi, she knew well enough this was a result of paranoia; the looming threat in the shape of the undead.

Vaylin held no particular expression, certainly not one of disgust at the blood that was splattered around. If anything she was angry at the Jedi that were invading. They might not have directly caused this, but the arrival here had certainly brought it about.

"The Jedi lead to this..." She muttered, hilt in hand as she carefully moved towards the house; door left wide open. Vaylin had her suspicions, but she'd fall back on her master's certainty. "Aria, can you sense where the woman went?"

 

[Jairus Starvald]

Location: Mirial | The Capital.
Objective: Evacuate the Mirialan Council.
Allies: The Sith Empire & Mirial. - [member="Vitor Avendahl"]
Enemies: The Silver Jedi. - Apparently [member="Marek S'hadar"]

"My Lord, we cannot hold this position for much longer."

It was one of the Mirialans. Clutching his arm, wounded, arm useless from a blaster shot, but his expression was still strong and forceful. This one would give his life if it meant buying time for his friends and families, but also a realist. The hole was large, pod-sized, this was the general area where the first of the Silver's orbital pods had been launched.

Some of them had hit skyscrapers, but this one broke through one of the barricades and there was not nearly enough time for them to repair it, not with the undead constantly pushing against them.

"You can-"

Vitor's voice cut him off for a moment. He looked back, saw the hunger in his former apprentice's eyes and recognized that it echoed his own hunger to do something. To make these Silver Jedi hurt in ways they could not even imagine. Coming here on Mirial, trying to take what was rightfully theirs and causing so much chaos in their wake.

"I cannot." Lord Saarai retorted, cutting off the stream of thoughts that would only lead him leading the charge to kill this Jedi. "You are a Lord of the Sith now. The fight is yours- if you can, take the invader alive... I would love to interrogate him. If not, then kill him." His glance went back to the wall and the hole inside of it.

"I have to think of the greater picture."

Already the Sith Lord turned away and back towards the hole.

With his help they would be able to close it, make sure that the undead wouldn't push through here. Had he been younger Tai would have joined Vitor with no qualms.

But with age comes wisdom and this was the greater goal for now.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Location: Mirial's Capitol Building
Objectives: Oversee the Restoration Effort / Repel the Trespassers
Allies: TSE | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Lord Depravious"] | [member="Greta Kohler"] | [member="Sal Zambrano"]
Enemies: SJO | The Light
Equipment:

• Sith Armor
  Talisman of Heart and Soul

[*]Shuk'orok
[*]Sith Lightsabers
[*]Scepter of Power

Rescue crews had flooded to the ruins of the capitol building, digging through the rubble to excavate survivors who may have still been buried beneath. Naturally, the Dark Lord was swarmed and fretted over by a dozen different officials and medics, but he waved them all away despite their concern for his 'injuries'.

He'd learn after the battle that he looked quite grisly.

Half of his black hair had been burned away by the concussive blast, the left side of his face a patchwork of scarred tissue and burns. His clothing was left in tatters, his armorweave cloak a riddled shawl of torn fabric hanging loosely from his broad shoulders. Luckily his alchemized armor had taken the brunt of the blast, and protected his vitals from any serious damage. In the end these cuts and burns were inconsequential. He had suffered far worse before, and he had always bounced back no matter how tenacious his enemies were in trying to lay him low.

From the debris emerged the Scepter of Power, undamaged yet agitated by the Rancor Rider's actions. At his command it returned to his side, coiling itself around his muscular body like a bandolier as the Dark Lord trudged on through the besieged city.

On his journey he came across many of his Empire's soldiers, tirelessly working to keep order and peace while chaos threatened to push in from all sides. They offered him bows, salutes, and even vocal reaffirmations of their loyalty. Some flocked to his side, taking up positions on either side of him as an escort. There were civilians too, the desperate and the downtrodden. They had suffered for so long, writhing in the neglect of the neighboring galactic powers as they fended for themselves against the undead hordes beyond their walls. Some looked upon him with fear, others with glimmers of hope as they saw him standing tall amidst the carnage.

Here he was, the leader of a supposedly monstrously evil, oppressive, and callous Empire, down at the front lines in this grisly conflict. His body bore the scars of battle, and they were reciprocated in the lines of violence etched in the bodies of the Mirialans that he passed. There was a symbol of authority that they could relate to, one who had first-hand suffered hardship and pain, but stood so proud, so confident, so triumphant.

Without saying a word he inspired the huddled, terrified masses. For where had been the Jedi during their strife? Where had been the Dominion? Moved on, flimsily claiming protection of this world without even lifting a finger to assuage the atrocious conditions of their war-torn planet.

In him they could see someone to idolize, a warrior unfettered by adversity. And in them the Dark Lord saw a people crippled by misfortune, but it was not a curse as they might have all suspected. War had molded them, the weak were broken by its violence yet the strong were able to endure and survive.

From them the Dark Lord would cultivate a new generation of loyal subjects, ready to fight, kill, and die for the glory of his Empire.

Their Empire.

 

[WelshPsych]

Objective: Avoid Zombies and survive
Enemies: [member="Enyo Typhos"] and TSE
Allies: SJO

Yuroic was heading in the direction of the city when he saw this average height being, standing at his height of 6'4 with the armour adding an inch to his height. He could feel the strength of their dark side connection, which meant that they were unlikely to be very welcoming to his presence. Holding his lightsabers tightly, he ignited the golden blades and walked towards them. Unsure what he was going to face or whom he was about to be fighting, Yuroic was hesitant to jump straight into combat and didn't want to strike someone down that could be persuaded out of combat. He knew there would be plenty of casualties and Jedi lost from the fray. It was searching and helping those that he rather focus on.

"Greetings!" He called out politely. "So, I am guessing this is the part where you wish to fight and not just talk? I mean I don't mind talking, there is plenty we could talk about. The weather, the undead monsters the Sith have created on the world or the fact that there is likely better things to do with our time then fight?" Yuroic stated, his anger had been pushed aside as he was assessing the dangers and the situation at the current moment.

He didn't know whether the person was Force based or combat based, which wasn't a good sign, but there was the very likely chance that it would be a combination of both. Then there was the fact that he could tell they were much more in tune with the Force than he was. This was dangerous as it left him at a disadvantage, so he had to play it clever if he wanted to win or just survive at the end. His thumb hovered over the switch on his lightsaber, in hope that they would not start combat with him. However, his mind was whirling away different combat moves and defensive stances to start their duel. While he was stronger in Niman and Djem So, which were attack first, he was working on using Niman's use of defence before striking back, if necessary.

 

[NightSister]

LOCATION: Mirial | Near residential housing
OBJECTIVE: Badass chase scene
ALLIES: [member="Vaylin"] | The Sith Empire
ENEMIES: [member="Natassia Traxen"] | The Silver Jedi

Aria could not pretend to be horrified at the chaos she and Vaylin had somehow dropped into - after all, in her experience there was something truly irresistible about destruction. The raw mess of carnage was something she sought after, even caused, too often to ever really repulse at.

But it did come as an exceptional surprise.

Her hearing cleared as she peeled herself off the ground, and as she fished for a commlink she watched a line of destruction unfold across the skyline. Flames, buildings that fell like a house of cards. Screams and pain - the sounds of a battlefield. But this wasn't a battlefield. The Sith Empire wasn't at war. Countless suffering, dying for...what?

Aria had killed in cold blood before.
But this just felt wasteful.

"I - don't know," she faltered, confusion flickering across the knife-sharp seriousness her face wore.

No matter what kind of fethed up warzone had become their backdrop, though, her task now was on a more personal level. Death, catastrophe - they drew little real sadness from her save a tinge of disappointment at how purposeless this felt. But crossing those close to her... that, on the other hand, was one of few ways to draw her anger.

So she ran, and she ran.

She only stopped when they reached the ruin scattered over residential housing. Stopped, and watched the scenery with disbelief. Wasteful. It was a shame, really. The Empire had gone to such effort in their restoration projects.

Now she put her comms to one ear, fiddling with a button to play the right broadcast-

"The-" and she laughed, mirthless. "The Jedi are invading? That's what started this?"

Oh, feth.
What a mess.
She just couldn't stop laughing.

"What a day," she finally got out, turning back to Vaylin. "Alright, she ran off..."
She didn't bother completing the sentence. She just went.

They found the building quickly enough, but tempting as it was, Aria didn't burst through the doors in instant pursuit of their foe. Not because she'd changed her mind (ha!). But instead, because she was turning to let her apprentice go in first. An enemy of Vaylin's was an enemy of Aria's. But first, she was an enemy of Vaylin's. And she wouldn't insult her apprentice by stealing a kill.

Regardless, when the Zabrak rushed in, Aria followed.

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Location: Capitol building, Mirial
Objective: Begin the deadliest dance
Allies: TSE and its allies
Enemies: SJO and its allies | [member="Jairdain"]
Gear: Mirari, Cruentis Cor, Valkyries founders' armor

---​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZmO9Nd_Rws​

"Then there is nothing left to do but dance."

Avacyn's blood red eyes made contact with Jairdain's uncorrupted orbs, the link saying more than a thousand words. Although she took no pleasure in killing, the rush of combat was why she fought, the potential death of her enemy merely an afterthought. It truly didn't matter whether they lived or died, except if keeping them alive was a risk to her or those around her. The Knight would be shown the true power Darth Avacyn wielded and nothing would be held back. That was the Sith way, its very code preached it. Perhaps under different circumstances the woman would have wondered how much of the Sith code had stuck with Jairdain, but now was not the time to ponder.

It was time to fight.

As the redhead took the first step her sabers ignited in stereo, beams of blue and red awakening from their slumber at their master's call. Kicking her other foot off the ground she started to dash towards her opponent, her movement almost inhumanly graceful as she called upon her wind shaping to guide her steps. The distance between the two quickly closed and when Avacyn came in striking distance she made an angled downward slash with both of her lightsabers, aimed at what to Kaalia was Jairdain's right ribcage.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Objective: Shoot things
Allies: TSE
Enemies: SJO, [member="Yuroic Xeraic"].


Jedi Knight and Terminatrix faced one another. Enyo came to a halt at an appropriate distance. Far enough for her ranged weapons to be useful, close enough for her to cross the distance and engage in melee should the need or opportunity arise.


She did not rush into battle, for though she enjoyed the thrill of combat, berserker charges were not her style. Rather, she focused her attention upon the Jedi as he spoke. Her features, concealed by her helmet's visor, were impassive and her gaze was analytical.


Her mechu-deru senses tingled. Her technomantic skills provided her some insight into his suit and weaponry, though she could obviously only perceive so much during a preliminary analysis. Information was presented in her HUD screen. His suit looked well-crafted and she estimated that it was made out of phrik. As she knew from experience, that was a good alloy. Likewise, she noted his two golden sabres and his combat stance. For now, her own lightsabres remained on her belt.


The Jedi mentioned the zombies that were busy devouring people. Indeed, one could hear the sounds of combat in the distance, as some Sith troopers were trying to hold them off. Enyo found the irony amusing, since the Sith had caused the outbreak, though the grunts would not know that. Enyo did not care. She could not be infected, for she was no longer an organic.


Rather, she went on the offensive. One mechanical, gauntlet-covered hand wrapped around a Forcebreaker grenade and tossed it towards the Jedi. This grenade was loaded with Ixetal cilona gas. When inhaled, the gas produced a few minutes of euphoria...and it could greatly weaken a Force-Sensitive's connection to the Force for a few hours. An accelerator chip would cause the grenade to explode if it suddenly changed direction, due to say telekinetic deflection. An explosion could also cause some damage from shrapnel.


Furthermore, an integrated Taozin nodule would make it difficult to sense via the Force, as it blurred and clouded Force senses. Enyo was not worried about inhaling the gas. Even if her armour were not sealed, she did not breathe. As the small object travelled through the air, she raised her bolter and fired.


Two explosive bolts leapt out of the rifle in succession. The shots were aimed towards his feet. That would make dodging a bit difficult. These were not blaster bolts or slugs, but explosive warheads that exploded on impact - any impact. In short, if you tried to block them with a lightsabre, deflect them with telekinesis or stop them with a Force-based shield, they would go boom, producing a powerful blast wave and a cloud of shrapnel with a wide radius. Even for the best armour, kinetic damage was a thing. One might not penetrate a suit, but one could hurt the body inside by causing internal injuries.

 

[Dusaro Dresari]

Location: Miria, Southern Suburbs
Objective: Link up with Jedi, Bolster the North East front aganst the Biological threats
Allies: SJ, [member="Arisa Yune"] [member="Lara Fairfax"] [member="Kal Visna"]
Enemies: Sith [member="The Slave"]

The charge to secure the suburbs had been met with resistance, but at this point saying they had it on lock down was not far from the truth. At the moment the biggest danger was not the Sith Troopers, but the incoming biological threats they had incoming. Roughly two hundred of them, a large enough of an amount to pose a potential threat if left unattended. But Dusaro was not going to leave them alone. "Shift Platoons Delta, Alpha-Beta and Kilo to reinforce against the biological threat in sectors X, V and Z four respectively. Notify all Jedi that are inbound to head there as well. Spread our Mirilan compatriots to reinforce the gaps left form their withdrawal in case the Sith start to get friendly. The moment we have the biological threat under control, we push." "Copy that sir, Platoon Delta, shift to sector X-Four, Platoon Alpha-Beta to V-Four, Kilo to Z-Four. Task will be to reinforce against biological threats." Satisfied with that for the moment, Dusaro headed back over to the other comms officer who just got a reply by two Jedi. It was then that it happened. The very sudden treachery of a trooper, who freely gave his section of the comms off freely to the enemy. Thankfully that man was not in Dusaro's section, so his comms were largely unaffected but he did as a precaution have them shift to a backup frequency that had been set up beforehand. This meant there was a bit of a delay in his response to his fellow Jedi but not a long one.

"I read you both, Kal Visla and i hear you loud and clear command. Kal, head to sector X-Four, we are engaging the biological threats there. I will be headed there myself. No Sith activity has been detected so far but i wouldn't be surprised if they started pouring out of the wood work any second now. I will be leading the defense against the biological threats. I will let each of you choose what you personally see if to do when you arrive, i will give you a more through status update of the situation when i get to the location."

The change in LZ was not a massive one, Kal would find it easy enough to land in the area while Lara and her fellow Jedi would find the streets of the suburb rather secured and for the most part easy to traverse. While there would be some rubble, Dusaro and his troops had not yet needed to use any heavy weapons or artillery so for the most part rubble would be limited to grenade explosions. Sure there was plenty of blaster scoring and dead bodies, but no major structural damage to any buildings in the area had yet occurred.

Assembling the rest of the squad he had with him, Dusaro started off on foot to the area that was under assault by the biological threats. He had a bit of a walk ahead of him going across the suburbs but nothing that would keep him from arriving in a fairly timely manner to direct the troops against the biological threats. That is assuming there were no complications caused by any Sith, of course. In the time that Dusaro was enroute, the Mirilan's would finish getting equipped and start heading to the front lines themselves to prepare for the push into the city.

Spoiler: Equipment

3 Flash Bang, 3 Smoke, 3 Thermal Dets, 4 2 Pound Explosive blocks

Pair of Shatterguns, Lightsaber, Blaster Carbine

Jet Pack, Light combat Armor, Thermal Imaging Visor

Spoiler: Troopers

SJ/Regulars (196)

Ranger Scouts (19)

Ranger Snipers (15)

Ranger Combat Medics (39)

Silver Jedi Heavy Weapons Infantry(25)

Mirilan Rebels [Armed with 10MM Assault Rippers] (400)

Mirilan Rebels [Armed with a variety of low grade blaster weapons] (100)

794 Total Troops

 

[Armand Temi]

Location: Residence in the Capital
Objective: Die and ??
Allies: SJO, [member="Liuna Ondizi"] [member="Cardinam"] [member="Kaiza Pawaro"] [member="Lara Fairfax"] [member="Kal Visna"] [member="Stephanie Swail"]
Enemies: [member="Arthur Wayes"]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PtvIr2oiaE[/youtube]​

The sick Mirialan was upon her like a crazed animal, but she was able to get a few blaster bolts into him before…

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!

At each gunshot, the citizen windmilled backwards, until he was lying on the stairs, limbs splayed out like a Plavonian starfish. Europa’s first instinct was to run, but she wanted to get a better look at what exactly had happened to him before the gunfire.

He did not move. The Mirialan rebel stepped forward with a mixture of dread and curiosity.

And suddenly with a howling snarl, he leapt up from his semi-prone position before her and tackled her to the floor. She must have been screaming, her mouth was agape, but Europa heard nothing but the loud beating of her own heart in her ears as she struggled to pry him off of her.

The sharp bite to her neck was not unexpected, not when she was pinned to the floor by the green arms with purple blotches and weeping sores.

Her head immediately hit the floor, her limbs becoming heavy. Before catapulting into a state of shock, she wondered, if this virus kills me, how come the Mirialan male is still alive? Because all of her body's functions began shutting down, the nerve endings tingling until numb, consciousness fading, a heavy drowsy feeling taking hold.

She could only stare at the peeling edges of the cheap laminated floor tiles.

A twitch and she was gone.

 

[Dante Sotari]

Location: Mirial, Northern Reaches
Allies: [member="Morgan Vance"], TSE
Enemies: Local Separatists

Oddly, his own edging toward frustration was helpful. If he had just been perfectly even keel, that probably would have been what tipped Dante over the edge. But instead there was a well of a certain satisfaction. His reaction, that he was finally having one after weeks of his perfectly calm smugness pissing her off-

She nodded, that satisfaction bleeding through her features.

"I don't give a chit about any of that," she muttered, pushing past him, away from the thing on the ceiling.

"But congrats, you're human. Try that indignation on a little more often. Looks good on you."

Dante still wasn't okay. But knowing she wasn't partnered with a droid in a man's body was a little comforting in its own right.

Holding up the glow stick, she squinted, trying to focus on the 'floor listing' beside the lift.

'If it were me, I'd be as high up as I could... there. Third floor. Main Weapons. But 'Control' is here on this floor. If they'd just EMPed this building.... everything would have turned back on by now. They've got to have something keeping it off."

 

[Kenth Typho]

Location: Mirial
Allies: [member="Dante Sotari"] | Sith Empire
Enemies: Local Separatists.

She... wanted him to act irrational?

That nugget of information confused the hell out of him. Why would anyone want to work with a partner that let their emotions cloud their judgement and affect their actions? It made no sense at all, but right now Morgan had more important things on his mind.

He glanced back once more- the scene fading out as the green light was taken deeper into the facility with Dante.

What a mess.

They arrived at a turbo-lift next. The doors had smudges of blood, like a hand covered in crimson had brushed it before being dragged away. Not a pleasant thought whatsoever. His attention slipped back to Dante and what she was saying.

"Third floor gives them a better defence position, aye." Vance responded after a moment of thought. Their numbers were small, too many and they would have risked detection at approach. So picking a position that they could hold with a few people would have been preferable. "Up it is then." One problem was that the lift was also disabled.

Whatever they had was effectively keeping everything neutralized under its area of effect.

After a moment Vance managed to find the manual controls, mechanical gears that would allow them to pull it open.

"Give me a hand here."

 

[LT-137]

Location: Capital City, Mirial, Illisurevimurasi Sector, Outer Rim Territories.​

Objective: Complete the Trial of Skill. Claim the Sabre, or Skull, of a Jedi Knight.​

Allies: The Knights of Ren, The Sith Empire.​

Enemies: The Silver Jedi Order, [member="Setzi Lunelle"] (Eventually.)​

Equipment: See Signature.​

​

​

​

While I would never willingly admit it to my brethren within the Praetorian Guard, let alone my Cousins within the Knights of Ren, during my descent towards Mirial, I was terrified and fought against the rising terror with every fibre of my disciplined being. Before I was entombed within carbonite, I would often find myself relishing the sensation of planetary re-entry, and would marvel at the sight of watching the entirety of my vessel engulfed by atmospheric flame. Now, that I was blind and left in the dark, hearing the ablative exterior of the starship bubble and pop as we soared towards the surface wasn’t... the most pleasant thing I’ve ever heard. If I could’ve compared it to anything, it was like being a crustacean creature stuck inside a boiling pot. I was grateful once the Pilot announced that we were through the stratosphere, and had entered Mirial proper. With those words spoken, and the bracketing defensive fire ebbing away into the distance, I elected to free my gauntleted fingers from the cargo netting and moved towards the solitary terminal that when palmed, would be my avenue to freedom.

Gripping the panel with my dominant hand, I waited in silence as my person was shuttled towards the surface. My fingers dug into the metallic flesh of the terminal as the star-craft banked from side to side, offering me some measure of support from falling flat on my face. An event, and a sight that I was unlikely to ever live down in the days to come. Thankfully, the bond between my armour and the grated decking beneath my feet was enough to keep myself upright. “My apologies, Lord,” The pilot’s clipped tones echoed throughout the cargo by once more and slowly becoming a sound that began to wear away at my patience. “There are several squadrons of Starfighters of Unknown classification’s, bearing transponder codes I’ve never seen. They were harassing us on the way down before the allied TIE fighters had taken them off our backs.”

“Have we sustained any damage?” I inquired, tilting my head with vague interest as my sightless eyes looked towards the integrated speakers above. “No, Lord. We’ve sustained minor damage to the shield capacitors, and blackened the enamel during Re-Entry, but otherwise operating in within acceptable parameters.”

Good. While I could care less about the ship, and the nameless Pilot thereafter, it would be challenging for me to commandeer either a Silver Jedi or Sith-Imperial vessel for my return back to First Order space. So, as grating as this man’s tone and seemingly informative personality was, I forced myself to bite my tongue and suffer his presence for a little while longer. At least when we came in close to the surface, I would finally be free of the annoying Imperial mouthpiece.

“We’re moments away fr-” His voice was interrupted by something, followed swiftly thereafter by a sudden shift in the local, inertial gravity. Had I not been holding onto the terminal, it would’ve been more than likely that I would’ve been thrown off my feet. “Apologies, again, Lord. We’ve come down to a part of the city taken by the Silver Jedi. They’ve started setting up their aerial defenses, making our final approach more difficult than it should be. I may have to cut your mission short to land safely elsewhere.”

“No,” I snapped at the distant speakers, ensuring that my words were coated in every ounce of authority I could muster. “Take us in as close as you can, and I will disembark.”

As expected, he tried to protest, saying something about my personal safety and about how he might be held accountable for whatever injuries I may sustain during my exit. Before he was allowed to finish, I silenced his disapproval by palming the terminal and drowning out his voice with the sound of rushing air. In place of the filtered, and distilled oxygen, the air that came bursting in was spiced with the sickly-sweet scent of death and decay. Rotting corpses smelled like that. As well as the aroma of the recently slain, there was a smoky - almost palpable smell of scorched ozone that hung heavily in the oncoming surge. Plasmatic discharges. Apparently, both the Sith Empire and Silver Jedi had troops on the ground, and whatever battles they fought against one another, it engulfed the entirety of the city. It was pretty clear that I was dropping into an active war zone and as a blind man… things were starting to get interesting.

Without wasting another moment, I rushed forth into the smoky din and felt the floor beneath me give way to the weightlessness of air. Looking back on that day now, I could easily recall nearly a string of ceaseless expletives that ran off my tongue as I hurtled towards the paved duracrete surface below. At the moment of my rapid descent, however, my lungs were filled with the ashen smoke of the dying city, and my sightless eyes stung with the clouds of billowing dust. As I came ever closer to the ground, my danger senses ignited within the back of my mind - forcing my body to twist and turn - so that when I impacted the ground, I rolled with the sudden impact. In a clatter of metallic plates and tattered cloth, my iron-shod feet were firmly placed on the war-torn streets of the Capital City. At the edges of my consciousness, I could feel nearly a dozen souls squirming about in the darkness before me. They were flickering candles, bound together by the thorny vines of fear. A sight I had all but grown accustomed to in the days that followed my arrival to Mirial.

Amongst the distant throng of flickering candles, lay a single flame that burned brighter than the rest. I could sense the untapped potential that rippled along the waxen length, and knew without a doubt, that whoever stood ensconced within, what I could only assume was an encampment of sorts, was a Jedi. Their power was yet unrealized, but enough to mark them out like a dove trotting amidst a sea of ravens. Fanning my fingers about the haft of my extended sabre, I withdrew the weapon in a single motion and thumbed the activation stud. Though deprived of sight, I knew the darkened surroundings around my person were bathed in the silvery-white luminescence of my Knightly symbol, and the *snap-hiss* sound of activation drowned the settling silence. Had my entrance, or the now departing shuttle not drawn an inquisitive gaze my way, the ignition of my plasmatic blade surely would.

It was only a matter of time, now.​